Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., announced Wednesday that Democrats have used a little-known law from the early 20th century to compel President Donald Trump’s Department of Justice and the FBI to release all records related to Jeffrey Epstein.
At a press conference, Schumer explained that he and his fellow Democrats on the Senate Homeland Security Committee invoked “a century-old and little-known law known as the Rule of Five.” According to Schumer, the federal law states that “when any five senators on the Homeland Security Committee call on the executive branch, the executive branch must comply.”
The Democrats’ request, Schumer said, demands “all documents, files, evidence and other materials” held by the DOJ and FBI in connection to the case of the United States v. Jeffrey Epstein.
“While protecting the victims’ identities can and must be of top importance, the public has a right to know who enabled, knew of, or participated in one of the most heinous sex trafficking operations in history,” Schumer stated.
He criticized Attorney General Pam Bondi and FBI Director Kash Patel for failing to follow through on previous pledges of transparency, saying the public has so far received only “stonewall, evasion, lies.”
“Donald Trump campaigned on releasing the Epstein files. He broke that promise,” Schumer said. “Trump should stop hiding from the truth. He should stop hiding from the American people. So today, Senate Democrats took action. We’re invoking federal law and using our authority as a check on the executive to compel transparency.”
Schumer emphasized the seriousness of the move: “It’s not a stunt. It’s not symbolic. It’s a formal exercise of congressional power under federal law. And we expect an answer from DOJ by August the 15th.”
He urged Republicans to support the effort, saying, “If you believe in transparency, if you believe Congress has a role to play in checking the executive, join us. Join us in calling for more transparency on the Epstein files, because once there’s transparency, the truth emerges.”
The DOJ has not yet responded to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
Schumer initially revealed the move during a Senate floor speech earlier in the day. It was his second address in recent days focused on the Epstein files. On Tuesday, he also called on the FBI to conduct a counterintelligence threat assessment regarding the case.
Schumer said the assessment should determine whether foreign intelligence services could access information in the Epstein files “through methods that include cyber intrusion,” assess whether any sensitive content could be used to gain leverage over Trump or other senior officials, and confirm that the FBI is working on strategies “to counter these threats and safeguard our national security.”
